Georgia Magazine - October 2022 - 17

The group displayed their plein-air paintings at Georgia
galleries for 15 years. Today, Nadelhoffer continues to create
renderings of the natural beauty she experiences at different
venues and often sells her work right off her easel to passersby.
" There is such a spirituality to being there in the moment, "
she says. " [In the great outdoors], I feel a connection to God that
I don't get in church, so the landscape is my church. "
Labors of love
Many romanticize the work of an artist, particularly one
who travels throughout the state to paint beautiful barns and
fields of flowers, but pleinair
painters describe it as
hard work. Some hike great
distances and stand for hours
at a time to capture their
subjects, so planning is
critical.
" My day pack weighs
David Boyd Jr.
about 20 pounds, " says
Georgia Nagle, an Atlantabased
artist who enjoys pleinair
painting in Georgia and at
other national and international
locations. " It holds
all that I need-my palette,
brushes, cleaner, canvases, a
tripod easel, water and a bag
for trash.
" I squirt paints onto my palette the night before and put it
Capturing the countrysides
" Plein-air painting just means painting outside with
changing light and movement and capturing the sense of place
quickly, " she says.
" En plein air " is a French expression that means " in
the open air " or " out in the open, " and the term refers to an
important era of art history. In the early 19th century, artists
made their own paints by grinding and mixing dry pigment
powders with linseed oil. This labor-intensive task made
painting outside the studio problematic.
The invention of the tin paint tube (and screw-top lid) in
the mid-1800s made painting " on the road " easier and more
practical. Artists were able to venture to the countryside and
capture the changing landscapes around them.
" I met people in my art classes, and we would plan to go
somewhere and paint together, " Nadelhoffer recalls. " It was a
great way to add a social element to a rather solitary activity.
That's how Plein Air Painters of Georgia got started. "
She and a small band of 20 or so artist friends traveled
together to various locations to interpret the scenery with
pastels, acrylics, oils and watercolors.
" Even if we painted the same thing, everyone's painting
would be so different, " she says. " At night, we'd have dinner
together, talk about life and show each other our [works]. "
all in the freezer. That way, I don't have to carry a bunch of tubes
of paint with me. And I carry a mountable umbrella because I
can paint longer if I have some shade. "
Not every painting expedition takes place on a perfect,
blue-sky day. Nagle has painted in both sweltering temperatures
and sleet. She watches the weather like a meteorologist, being
careful not to let a storm creep up on her and ruin her creation.
Still, she says that her outings almost always bring
surprises.
Last year, she lugged a small box studio to Briarwood Park
in Brookhaven, set up a 12-inch-by-12-inch canvas on the seat
of her bicycle and started painting some white flowers when a
small group gathered behind her.
" A woman introduced herself as 'the officiant' and told me
they were there for a wedding, " she says. " So I stopped painting
and became their photographer. After a short, sweet ceremony,
the bride said she thought my painting was beautiful. I said,
'Good, because you guys are taking it home,' and I gave it to
them. It was meant to be. "
Fast and loose preservation
" When you are outside, the light and shadows of a place
change with every minute, " says David Boyd Jr., an artist and
gallery owner in Newnan who boasts thousands of plein-air
paintings in his portfolio. " So for me, I think I paint faster and a
www.georgiamagazine.org 17
COURTESY DAVID BOYD JR.
http://www.georgiamagazine.org
Georgia Magazine - October 2022

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